Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CEO Debra A. Cafaro Sells 44,551 Shares of Stock

Ventas, Inc. (NYSE:VTR) CEO Debra A. Cafaro sold 44,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.06, for a total transaction of $3,165,794.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,145,695 shares in the company, valued at $81,413,086.70. The trade was a 3.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Ventas Stock Performance

Shares of VTR opened at $64.12 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.06 billion, a PE ratio of 337.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Ventas, Inc. has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $71.36. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $65.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.40.

Ventas (NYSE:VTR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by $0.83. Ventas had a return on equity of 0.82% and a net margin of 1.65%. As a group, analysts expect that Ventas, Inc. will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Ventas Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This is an increase from Ventas’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. Ventas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 1,010.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VTR. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of Ventas from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Argus set a $75.00 target price on Ventas in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ventas from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Ventas from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Ventas from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $66.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.90.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventas

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VTR. Presima Securities ULC increased its holdings in shares of Ventas by 38.0% during the 4th quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 439,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,908,000 after purchasing an additional 121,193 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in Ventas by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 39,760 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,341,000 after acquiring an additional 12,969 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ventas by 726.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,267 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 4,630 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ventas by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,028,015 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $296,100,000 after acquiring an additional 123,937 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Ventas by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,557,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,767,261,000 after purchasing an additional 599,600 shares in the last quarter. 94.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ventas

Ventas Inc (NYSE: VTR) is a leading S&P 500 real estate investment trust focused on delivering strong, sustainable shareholder returns by enabling exceptional environments that benefit a large and growing aging population. The Company's growth is fueled by its senior housing communities, which provide valuable services to residents and enable them to thrive in supported environments.